Coaching life of Pat Riley highlighted by five NBA crowns on way to Hall of Fame

When you have accomplished as much as Pat Riley has, you need two people to escort you to the hallowed halls of basketball heaven.

Jerry West and Earvin "Magic" Johnson will accompany the three-time coach of the year when Riley and the Class of 2008 are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.

"Both those gentlemen have had an incredible link to my success," Riley said. "Jerry basically shoved me through the head coaching door and supported me for nine years. He's the one that really gave me an opportunity.

"And the guy that's been a kindred spirit of mine is Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Jr.," Riley added. "Without him and me riding his coattails along with Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), I would never be here."

Riley joins Patrick Ewing, Adrian Dantley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Davidson, Cathy Rush and Dick Vitale as a member of the Class of 2008.

The president of the Miami Heat retired from coaching in April as the third winningest NBA coach after Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson.

Riley said there were plenty of others who helped him along the way, including Lakers owner Jerry Buss and long-time announcer Chick Hearn.

It was in Los Angeles where Riley spent most of the career, coaching the Lakers to four NBA championships.

"The 20 years I spent in Los Angeles as a player and a coach was the taproot of my career," Riley said.

Riley added another NBA title as coach of the Miami Heat in 2005, and is the only person to win Coach of the Year honors for three different teams (Lakers, Heat, Knicks).

He was also named one of the NBA's Top 10 coaches of all-time, posting more 50-win seasons (17) than any other coach in NBA history.

While his Heat team wasn't involved in this year's NBA Final, Riley felt a little nostalgia watching the Lakers and the Boston Celtics renew their rivalry.

"That rivalry in the '80s was something that set up all the rivalries after that," Riley said.

Like the 2007-2008 Celtics, Riley said he hopes to rebuilt the Heat into a contender once again, something he did three years ago that led to an NBA title.

As a coach, Riley has accomplished just about everything. The only notable absence on his resume is having coached an Olympic team.

"That's one thing that just hasn't happened for me," Riley said. "There's always other coaches who may have been ahead of my reputation."

While he has never been selected to coach an Olympic team, Riley said be believes the coaches who have were deserving and had paid their dues to USA basketball.

For now, Riley said his focus is on building the Heat into a contender once again - from his position as team president. For now, there isn't any room for coaching in his schedule.

"Twenty-five years of doing it the way I did it left out a lot of opportunities that involved a balanced life," Riley said. "But if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it."